Drone crashes drone! U.S. Air Force tests "Hornet V2" to strengthen base defense capabilities

In order to counter the increasingly common threat of drones, the U.S. Air Force recently conducted training using the new "Bumblebee V2" to intercept drones at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. This equipment does not need to carry explosive warheads, but destroys enemy drones through direct impact. Even if the opponent has the ability to resist electronic interference, it may still be intercepted, becoming a new option for the US military to strengthen base defense.

According to the military news website Army Recognition, the 6th Security Forces Squadron of the U.S. Air Force cooperated with the 401st Joint Interdepartmental Task Force on the 8th of this month to conduct "Hornet V2" operational training. Relevant photos and information were released on the 23rd. This training mainly simulates countering small drones that threaten military aircraft, personnel and important facilities, and improves the response capabilities of the base security forces.

The "Hornet V2" was developed by the American company Perennial Autonomy. It adopts a multi-rotor design operated from a first-person perspective (FPV) and can render enemy drones incapable of flying through direct impact. The Pentagon of the United States awarded the company a contract worth US$5.2 million, equivalent to approximately NT$160 million, on January 30 this year. It plans to deliver relevant equipment for military testing and evaluation starting in March.

It is worth noting that the "Bumblebee V2" has a three-lens configuration and automatic target recognition function, which can assist in tracking and intercepting targets under the supervision of the operator, reducing reliance on advanced flight control skills. The U.S. Army tested related technologies at Fort Benning in July this year, but the actual automation functions used in this Air Force training have not yet been confirmed.

This training also included the "Paladin" system, which can launch net bombs to intercept drones, to familiarize officers and soldiers with different countermeasures. Compared with traditional electronic jamming, impact interception can deal with drones that fly along preset routes and do not rely on real-time communication, but the fall of debris after interception and the safety of the base airspace must still be considered.

The U.S. military is currently continuing to evaluate how this type of equipment can be integrated into the base defense system, but officials have not yet confirmed that the "Hornet V2" has been deployed regularly at MacDill Base, or that the target was successfully shot down during this training.